Hand-drawn trollies and in particular golf trollies or buggies can be quite tiring and uncomfortable to tow over a long distance. In particular golf trollies which are towed over the entire length of a golf course may be quite heavy due to the weight of the golf clubs and golf bag attached to the trolley. There is a particular problem in overcoming the inertia of the trolley, bag and clubs each time that the trolley is pulled from a stationary position, often on rough ground or on an upward slope. GB 1,461,930 relates to a trolley having a longitudinally resilient flexible linkage attached at one end of the wheeled frame and the other end attached to a belt adapted to extend around the trunk of a person drawing the trolley. The linkage may comprise a rubber or the like strap but it is preferred that the linkage should comprise a chain and a compression tension spring. In the embodiment described, a length of chain extends between two tension coil springs, one of those springs being attached to the frame of the trolley and the other being attached via a spring clip to the user's belt. GB 1,461,930 further states that while the linkage permits the load of the trolley to be taken directly by the trunk of the user, the user's hand is still required to tilt and guide the trolley.
Thus, while the load being towed is removed from the arm of the user, a hand must still be kept on the handle of the trolley which means that the uncomfortable position of walking with one hand held out behind is not relieved. Furthermore, with the arrangements suggested in GB 1,461,930 when the user moves down an incline the trolley would tend to push forward towards the user and in order to prevent the trolley handle pushing right against the user's back the user would have to restrain its movements using his or her arm. Thus the object of substantially removing the strain from the user's arm is not achieved.
FR 2 693 967 describes a golf trolley puller which has a curved steel tube, sheathed in plastic, with a quick trolley fixing. The puller may be fastened to the player's belt by quick fastening straps. The trolley puller is designed to allow the player to pull the trolley in comfort. While the strain of towing is removed from the golfer's arm during towing of the golf trolley puller, all the effort is transferred to the golfer's torso. The trolley would be inclined to continually bump against the golfer while he/she tows it with the device described in this document.
GB 2 180 200 relates to a golf bag carrier which has a flexible spine and side struts. A connector pivotally connects the handle and the side struts to the spine. The trolley can assume a folded position. The spine is a serrated beam having intersecting orthogonal members extending along its length for bending rigidity and spaced ribs along the spine perpendicular to its axis for torsional rigidity and comprises a resilient plastic material that further absorbs shock throughout the spine. The handle and side struts are of the same design as the spine and comprise the same material. The flexible spine is designed to eliminate the transfer of vibratory and other undesired motion from the wheels through the trolley frame, thus prolonging the life of the trolley by decreasing wear and tear on its constituent parts.
None of these prior art documents describes a system for reducing the effort needed to pull or push a trolley by hand. Neither do they describe the use of such a system in combination with a towing belt or other item of clothing worn by the user.
It is very demanding on a golfer to tow or push a conventional trolley by its handle. This causes soreness and/or tiredness in a golfer's limbs and can thus affect his/her ability to play golf.